This is probably going to terrify you, but you’ve got a ticking time bomb in your lap, or your purse, or nestled into your back pocket. If you have a consumer electronic device powered by a rechargeable battery there is a very good chance it is a lithium-based battery. Which means when you toss your kid your phone,…

On the back side of most gadgets, there's a string of hieroglyphs that look like the bottom line on the eye chart from hell. But this mishmash of symbols and letters is actually essential to international trade. Here's what each one means and why it's on there.